Polaroid Memories
by Daniel Young

This is a very flexible pseudo memorized deck routine resulting from the combination of "Memoria" and "Snapshot".

• Memoria: This is what it looks like to the audience: Someone shuffles the pack; you let them peek at one card and shuffle it again. The deck is then spread face up on the table. You engage in the memorization process, and after a few moments you claim that you've memorized the whole deck. You gather up the cards and turn them face up, and then you ask them to name their card. You straightaway say that's twenty-three cards down. They count down to twenty-three and deal that card out on the table. "If I remember correctly, the card here should be two of spades (turning over the 22nd card). And the card that hasnt been dealt yet is the jack of hearts", both proves to be correct. "And your card was ten of clubs, right? Turn it over..." And of course it's their card.
• Snapshot: "Has anybody heard of photographic memory", says the mentalist, "it's the ability to retain images in the mind much like a photograph. So for example I could study a book or magazine for a minimal amount of time, and hours later I could still tell you the contents of any page. I'd like to demonstrate something along those lines with a pack of cards. The reason I use a pack of cards is because they represent 52 different easily identifiable items." The mentalist spreads a deck of cards face up on the table. "These items can be rearranged into any order you like." The mentalist mixes the cards up as he gathers them up. The cards are offered to a comrade and further mixing of the cards is requested.

  "There's no way now I can know the order of the cards" The cards are spread face down on the table. The comrade is asked to select any card and hide it from view with his hand. "Here's the interesting bit, I've been trying to develop a photographic memory. So far I can remember the exact order of a pack of cards in ten seconds. If there are only 51 cards I should be able to do it slightly quicker. I'm going to spread the cards face up and I'd like you to count loudly to ten." The mentalist spreads the cards face up and looks through the cards. When the comrade reaches the count of seven, the mentalist gathers the pack and turns it face down on the table. He stares directly in the comrades eyes, sits back in his chair and begins...

  "I saw 26 red cards and 25 black cards, that means that your card was black. Of the black cards 13 were clubs and 12 were spades, so that means it was a spade. All picture cards were there, plus the ace, I saw the four, the nine, the eight, the three, the five, the ten, the seven, the six. So it has to be the two of spades...turn it over!" The comrade does and the two of spades is revealed, the mentalist remains the genius he always was.

• Polaroid Memories: a combination of Memoria and Snapshot.
• Thoughts in Amber: You borrow a deck from a kind stranger. He cuts the deck and remembers a card. Another spectator selects a card at random from the deck and places it aside sight unseen. The deck is shuffled again. The magician has not touched the cards at all during this procedure. The cards are then counted through and memorized. The magician can tell where exactly the second spectator's card is located in the pack. Then he can tell exactly which card is missing! Borrowed Deck of cards! Shuffled by the spectator! No marked cards! No forces! No peeks! The magician doesn't touch the card at all during the selection process!
• The Shuffle
• Kickers
• ACAAN Ending